A COUNCIL is to spend £127,000 on keeping public loos spick and span.

Ribble Valley Council's 24 public loos are being used by an increasing number of tourists during the summer and bank holidays.

The council's community committee heard that vandalism and misuse of toilets was becoming a major problem.

Director of commercial services John Heap said: "Councillors decided last year that as a tourist area the condition of the council's public conveniences should be given a higher priority and as a consequence more money invested in the cleaning of facilities."

Councillors agreed to double the money spent on public conveniences to include two full-time attendants and a further two attendants on temporary summer contracts.

They will have a new van and power washer to carry out a rolling programme of public loo-cleaning.

Mr Heap added: "New rotas have been drawn up which will increase the frequency of the cleaning of the sites. Those where usage is known to be the greatest and misuse has given rise to complaints will be targeted."